Those Three Words
by DarthMittens
Summary: 'She was getting farther from him, her sobs echoing in the hallway. She was getting away…he didn't have enough strength to do anything about it.' A small tale about the price to be paid in the event of one's death. Angsty One-Shot.


**A/N: I just can't get past my writer's block for 'Pierced'… :(**

**It's kinda short, but all that my brain can muster at the moment.**

**Enjoy!**

**Those Three Words**

"I hate you!"

Harry stared at the love of his life, unable to catch his breath, her words echoing in his head.

_Her lips were soft on his, her body warm against his as he held her close. She smiled into the kiss and looked up at him through her lashes as she pulled away, blushing brilliantly._

"_Thanks for the dance, Harry."_

Her hand connected with his face, sending him reeling backwards into Ron, who was also staring at the sleek brown hair turning a corner, the owner of said hair running.

_Harry sighed contentedly against her neck, the smell of her as he inhaled intoxicating. It had been the best night of his life, her naked skin against his feeling like velvet._

"_I love you," he whispered, and she smiled in her sleep, cuddling closer to him._

Harry sank to sit on the hard, cold floor of the castle, his eyes staring vacantly at the wall opposite him. _I hate you!_

_He smiled at her, his arm over her shoulders as they took in the sunset, which lit up the ocean water beautifully. She smiled at him and looked back over the sea, her eyes shining. He grinned and returned his attention to the sun, which was shooting feeble light over the horizon._

Harry fisted his hair, a hard lump in his throat as hot tears pricked his eyes. "I love you…" he croaked.

_She was reaching out to him as Bellatrix Lestrange dragged her up the stairs, her eyes pleading until she was out of sight. The screams started a minute later._

His shoulders started shaking and he pulled his knees up to his chest for comfort, burying his face in them, not caring that there was dirt and blood covering his pants. His heart was pumping hopelessness and pain throughout his body; his worn-out, battered, nearly-broken body.

_She gave him a relieved smile before she fell asleep that same night, Dobby's sacrifice seeming just a tad less horrible with the light she cast in his heart._

It couldn't end like this. He had done it for her! Why couldn't she see that?

_She was smiling up at him, the book she was reading forgotten in her lap as Harry smiled back, the two of them content with just each other._

He stood up and angrily rubbed the tears off of his face, pushing his fatigued body to run after her. To catch her. To never let go. It couldn't end like this…

"_I love you."_

_Harry grinned at her, his heart thumping in his chest. She had said it._

"_I've always loved you."_

There was nothing in the destroyed hallways but the echoing sound of his feet hitting the ground beneath him and his harsh, labored breaths.

"_I'll always love you."_

His throat was burning, though not because he was running. His vision was growing blurry, growing hot as tears pooled once again.

"_I just wanted you to know…just…just in case…"_

He flew around the corner, tripping over the sole subject occupying his thoughts. She was sobbing as she clutched a picture of them together, his arm over her shoulders despite them having not been together at the time.

"_The only way I'd die is if I was never able to see you again."_

_She smiled back at him, tears making her eyes glisten._

"Oh, sorry," she said, rubbing her eyes, which hardened once she could see properly. She slowly stood up, anger rolling off of her in waves. "Harry," she said, her voice cold.

_She screamed when Voldemort pronounced him dead, nothing else to be heard other than her heart-wrenching sobs filling the courtyard._

"Hermione," Harry panted, staggering onto his feet.

_He swore he felt it when her heart broke._

He grunted as a spell blasted him into the wall behind him, draining him of his remaining strength.

_That moment when she realized she would never see his smile again. _

She loomed over him, her wand shaking like mad as she trained it on him.

_Never hear his voice._

"Hermione," Harry said, his voice weak. "I…I had to do it."

"You think I don't know that?" she whispered, her hand shaking more violently. "You think I don't KNOW?" she yelled, falling to her knees in front of him as her tears began to fall.

_Never hear him say it, see his eyes shine as the words pass his lips._

"Hermione…" Harry said, his heart rising to his throat. "I…I…"

"_I love you."_

"Don't you dare!" she yelled. "Don't you dare say it! We both know it's not true!"

"I did it for you," Harry said weakly, squinting his eyes to slow down the tears gathering in them.

Hermione let out a choked sob, her wand clattering to the floor. "Why?" she asked, her voice thick with tears. "Why didn't you say goodbye?" she cried.

Harry remained silent, ashamed of his own weakness.

"You said goodbye to Ron. To Ginny. Neville. Luna," she said. "Do I really mean that little? What if you had actually died?"

"Hermione…" Harry said, but not strongly enough.

"Was all this some sort of game?" Hermione screamed. "A lie? Some ploy so you wouldn't die a virgin? Well, you know what, I can do better!" She stood up, using the wall to support her shaking knees.

Harry also stood up, though he did so regularly even if the hall was swaying a bit. "Hermione, stop," he said, reaching a hand for her shoulder.

She smacked his hand away. "I hate you!" she yelled in his face, her own bright red from anger and her crying.

She began trying to run again, stumbling and tripping, unable to see through her tears. Harry staggered after her, unable to accept what was happening. She had it all wrong!

He couldn't really tell what was going on, darkness was creeping up on the corners of his vision, his brain hazy as he fought the pain and fatigue. She was getting farther from him, her sobs echoing in the hallway. She was getting away…he didn't have enough strength to do anything about it.

"_I love you."_

Harry pushed past his body's pain threshold and began stumbling after her, his heart pounding in his chest as determination burned in his eyes. But she was farther away now, at the corner of the next hallway. For some reason, he knew that if she made it out of his sight, that would be the last he would ever see of her.

_One thought was pulsing through his mind. One regret. One heart-wrenching thought. One moment of pain as he stood across from Voldemort. _

Her hand was on the wall at the corner, her breaths harsh. She went to take a step.

"I wouldn't have been able to do it!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, losing his strength and falling to the floor painfully.

He could still see her, though, as he attempted to push himself up with his arms. She hadn't left…

"If I saw you…" he said, swallowing hard. "If I saw the pain in your eyes. There was no way I could've gone out there," he admitted, turning over so he was lying on his back, not possessing enough strength to do anything else. "Knowing I would never see you again," he said quietly, though he knew she could hear.

_She smiled at him as they danced, her eyes shining._

"Never see those love-filled, intelligent eyes."

_She bit her bottom lip as they stared at each other, their faces inches apart._

"Never kiss your soft, sweet lips."

_He threaded his fingers through her hair as she melted into him, her body fitting against his perfectly._

"Never run my fingers through your soft, silky hair."

_Her breath wafted against his face as she pulled back, cinnamon toothpaste filling his nose. "Harry."_

"Never hear you say my name."

_She smiled brilliantly, a soft pink tinge to her cheeks._

"Never see you smile."

"_I…I…"_

"I love you, Hermione!" he yelled with all his might, though he didn't know if she was still listening. "Do you hear me, I—"

Soft lips were on his, cutting him off, cinnamon and vanilla making an oddly nice flavor as she kissed him. It was the best kiss of Harry's young life, and it lingered as she slowly pulled away, her lips trembling as she tried to smile and keep from crying at the same time.

"I'm so sorry," Harry whispered as he reached a hand up to gently cup her cheek.

"I am too," she whispered back, putting her hand over his and lacing her fingers through his. "I overreacted. I-I didn't mean what I said."

"You don't know…how…how scared I was," Harry admitted, staring into her eyes.

"I do know, Harry," Hermione replied softly.

"Hermione…" Harry said quietly, warmth pushing the pain out of his body. She looked at him expectantly. "What would you say..." he took a deep breath, "if I asked you to marry me?"

"Harry…" Hermione said in awe. "Are you…really proposing?"

He softly chuckled, feeling oddly calm. "Only if you're going to say yes."

"Where's the ring?" Hermione whispered, smiling as she arched an eyebrow at him playfully.

"Rings are overrated," Harry replied weakly.

Hermione sighed in mock-annoyance and conjured an engagement ring, pressing it into Harry's hand and curling his fingers around it gently. Harry struggled to push himself up, using Hermione for support. He finally managed to get on one knee, coming just above eye-level with her, her face glowing in happiness. He opened his mouth, unsure of what to say. He had already asked, what now?

Unable to come up with anything that wouldn't ruin the mood, he allowed his weight to fall on her, sending them both to the ground, Hermione shrieking along the way. His lips fell on hers and he kissed her, blindly sliding the ring on her ring finger as their lips moved against each other's.

"I would say yes," Hermione breathed as they pulled apart.

"Harry, Madam Pomfrey wants you in the hospital wing," said an embarrassed voice from the end of the hall.

"Hi Neville," Hermione said awkwardly, all of them knowing that there was nothing she could say to relieve his embarrassment.

"Erm…see you later," Neville replied, turning around and hurrying out of sight.

"Well that's a mood-killer," said Harry wisely.

"We probably should get you to the hospital wing, though," Hermione said, helping Harry stand and supporting him with an arm over her shoulders.

They walked in silence for a few feet, Harry leaning heavily on his fiancée. "Hermione," he said, making her turn to face him. Her eyes were as warm as melted chocolate as she looked up at him, love radiating from her, making her glow. Never had Harry seen anything so beautiful. "I love you," he said softly.

She smiled up at him, then began walking again. "I love you too," she said, somehow managing to snuggle against him while walking.

Walking into the beginning of something beautiful.

**A/N: Geez, I'm sappy for a guy.**


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